Todd Brunson and Carlos Mortensen Join Poker Hall of Fame

October 14th, 2016 | by Jason Reynolds

Todd Brunson (pictured) and Carlos Mortensen become the latest members of the Poker Hall of Fame. (Image: brunsoneventcenter.com)

The Poker Hall of Fame can now count two members of the Brunson family as alumni after the judging panel selected Todd Brunson to become one of this year’s two inductees.

Brunson may be the son of legendary poker player Doyle, but that doesn’t mean his ridden his father’s coattails throughout his career. In fact, like his father, Todd is as competitive as anyone at the felt and wouldn’t think twice about bluff raising his father on the river if he had to.

Naturally, being the son of a poker great has its advantages and Brunson has undoubtedly taken on some of his father’s skills. Throughout his career he’s managed to bank more than $4.2 million tournament winnings and, potentially, just as much in cash games.

Brunson a Big Winner

Brunson is a regular in the Vegas Big Game and grinds alongside the game’s best on a daily basis. In fact, Brunson was part of the team of players that took on billionaire Andy Beal back in 2001.

Although he struggled in that session, Brunson has since enjoyed some big wins against Beal. His most recent encounter with the super-rich banker occurred in 2015. According to reports, Brunson and Beal played heads-up Limit Hold’em for stakes as high as $50,000/$100,000.

Each player bought in for $5 million and, by the time the session was over, Brunson had all the chips. While it’s likely he had investors for the game, Brunson will have walked away with a healthy profit when all was said and done.

The Matador Now Among Poker’s Greats

Joining Brunson as this year’s second Poker Hall of Fame member is Spanish tournament pro Carlos Mortensen. First coming to the attention of the poker masses by winning multiple WPT titles in the early noughties, Mortensen was known as one of the original loose aggressive tournament players.

Back in a time when conservative play was the order of the day, Mortensen blazed a trail and picked up a plethora of titles. Still active on the circuit, Mortensen has just short of $12 million in career earnings and is more than worth of a place in the Poker Hall of Fame.

In fact, as well as being an impressive personal achievement, Mortensen will be flying the flag for European poker. Over the last few years some members of the poker community have been critical of the Poker Hall of Fame’s US-centric vibe.

Although the majority of long-time pros are American, some feel that more Europeans could be included. Mortensen, however, is now a part of the mix and that could start something of a trend when it comes to voting over the next few years.